What if the most scalable, culture-shaping pro-life strategy isn’t a policy or a program—but discipleship rooted in the local church? For 50 years, Care Net has celebrated a simple truth: when churches and pregnancy centers walk together, families are seen, supported, and transformed. That’s the story we’re celebrating—and the invitation we’re extending.
If you’re a pastor, ministry leader, or volunteer who wants to move beyond crisis response to long-term change, this piece (and the short clip and trailer below) is for you. In a few minutes, you’ll see how Care Net equips churches to serve with pregnancy centers: meeting urgent needs, connecting moms and dads to ongoing support, and making disciples who build strong families.
Watch the clip to hear a pastor’s wake-up call
“More than half of the customers that go to Planned Parenthood, are our own people, they’re Christians, and there’s got to be something wrong. There’s something we’re not doing right if we’re the biggest customer, we’re missing something in the gospel and we needed a heart change. What is it like for the young girl who finds out she’s pregnant? What is that like? We had no clue. I think we thought we did, but our message was not what she needed. She didn’t need to hear abortions bad and people who have abortions are bad. She needs to hear we’re here to help you and walk alongside of you and to help you make good choices. We needed a way to how do we get pro-life teams started and started on the right track and what care net provided through Positive Options was just what we needed.” —Mark Neymeiyer, Pastor of Rusk Christian Reformed Church
50 Years of Serving Side-by-Side
From the beginning, Care Net’s Pro Abundant Life strategy was built to equip churches and walk with pregnancy centers. Together, we form a continuum of care:
- Emergency Care (reach with compassion): centers and our Pregnancy Decision Line meet women and men in crisis without judgment.
- Short-Term Care (connect to real support): ultrasounds, parenting classes, material aid, and mentoring.
- Long-Term Care (promote God’s design for family): fatherhood, marriage, and stable homes.
- Culture Change (make disciples): the church provides the community and transformation that prevent repeat crises.
For Church + Center Partnerships
1) Discipleship is the difference between a decision and a direction.
A “yes to life” is vital—but without a church family, the pressures that fueled the crisis often return. When centers link clients to a local church using tools like Making Life Disciples™, moms and dads find mentors, small groups, men’s and women’s ministries, and ongoing care. That community turns a single decision into a new direction—changing a child’s start and a family’s future.
2) Compassion must be proximate, practical, and personal.
Pregnancy centers model proximity by welcoming clients with dignity and providing tangible help—ultrasounds, education, and material support. Churches multiply that compassion with meal trains, childcare, counseling, and marriage and fatherhood pathways. The shared message becomes: We’re here. We’ll walk with you. Proximity breaks isolation; practicality builds confidence; personal care opens hearts to the gospel and long-term growth.
3) The local church is uniquely designed for long-term change.
Centers excel at crisis response; churches excel at lifelong formation. When pastors preach with clarity, congregations serve without shame, and lay teams accompany families week after week, repeat crises decline. The result isn’t just fewer abortions; it’s stronger marriages, engaged fathers, and households shaped by Christ. That’s culture change—one family at a time—sustained by a discipleship ecosystem only the church can provide.
Celebrating 50 Years—and Inviting Your Church Into the Next 50
Care Net will always stand with pregnancy centers in the crisis moment. But our celebration is bigger than moments—it’s about movement. For five decades, we’ve equipped churches to make disciples who love their “near ones,” steward God’s design for family, and serve centers as trusted partners in compassion.
Watch the Official Documentary Trailer: Care Net’s 50 Years of Pro Abundant Life Ministry
Watch the clip to hear how a congregation caught this vision. Watch the trailer to see what’s next—and how your church can connect with your local pregnancy center, launch Making Life Disciples™, and build a team that walks with moms, dads, and babies from the first phone call to a flourishing home.
Your next step: Share this with your pastor or small-group leader. Contact your local pregnancy center to ask, “How can our church serve you?” Then form a core team to begin Making Life Disciples™. For the next 50 years, let’s keep doing what works: churches and pregnancy centers, side-by-side, making disciples and changing generations.